The Struggles of an Empath

Being an empath is a superpower. We can frequently sense other people’s emotions often without them having to explain themselves. The people who have made a positive impact on this world are most likely empaths. The ability to be considerate, compassionate and harmonising truly makes us empaths blessings to humanity.

Definition- “an empath is someone who absorbs other people’s emotions because of their high sensitivities”.

But what are the cons of being an empath? In a world with so much pain and suffering, being an empath can be exhausting, to say the least. Not only are we confronted with our personal issues, we constantly feel the pain of other people’s problems. I love being an empath but recently I’ve noticed how my self sacrificing ways has caused me to neglect my personal needs. My inability to say no out of fear that I will be disappointing others has resulted in feeling burnt out and drained. I’ve exhausted my time and resources to help others when the same was never reciprocated. Wanting to wear a cape and help everyone with their problems is virtually impossible.

To use our empath power in an empowering way, I thought it’d be interesting to explore the negatives of being an empath.

Unhealthy side of being an Empath:

Overthinking – Misinterpreting someone’s mental state. Even though we tend to be highly intuitive, sometimes our perceptions are wrong. Constantly trying to figure people out and imposing on them what we think they are feeling can prove annoying and draining for the person on the receiving end.

Overanalyzing- Similar to the previous point. Sometimes things are as they seem and don’t need much more analysis. Things like a disagreement with a friend or family member can easily turn into a long-winded battle within ourselves over what went wrong. Overanalyzing can result in us being unnecessarily harsh on ourselves especially when we think we’ve done something wrong. Self forgiveness is harder to practice for empaths who care deeply about people’s feelings.

Boundaries- Not being able to implement healthy boundaries with others. Typically empaths attract emotionally draining people who often pour onto them all their issues. Empaths becomes an emotional blanket for those who are egotistical and self-serving. We find ourselves in unbalanced relationships and tend to feel like we are giving much more than we are receiving.

Saying no- Empaths find it more difficult than the average person to say no because they are highly receptive to the emotions that result in disappointing others. We end up exhausting ourselves trying to please others around us. Saying yes to everyone often leads us to say “no” to our self-care. Our inability to turn things down makes empaths feel unsatisfied and drained.

Evolved Empaths

Learning the possible negatives of being an empath helps us to use our empath traits in an empowering and self-fulfilling way. I am learning that I am not responsible for other people’s moods and I don’t need to absorb their emotions. I have a skill for understanding other people’s emotions and I use that as a tool to create community and have genuine interactions.

5 Affirmations for Empaths:

1.Setting boundaries is a self-care ritual. When I express my boundaries, I am honouring my integrity and standing in the truth of who I am and what I deserve.

2. Saying no allows me to communicate realistic expectations of myself. I trust the universe will guide others and bring them in the path of someone else who is assigned to help them.

3. I allow myself to go into nature to be recharged. I take time out for self-care rituals and make a conscious effort to be present to avoid being overwhelmed by emotions. I make space for relaxation without feeling guilty.

4. I let go of the idea that I can fix everyone and allow others to be. I realise my own limits and let people figure out things themselves. I make peace with the fact that some things can’t be ‘fixed’ and that people need to go through certain things for their own personal growth.

5. I allow positivity to enter my life. I express gratitude daily and celebrate my joyful moments. I release the need to fester onto negative experiences and let go of the need to hold onto pain. I allow myself to experience joy in its entirety because that’s what I deserve.

A Question to you:

Are you an empath?

I always love to hear your thoughts!

Blessings, Ash xx

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Published by Ash

Hello, my name is Ash aka recovering pessimist.
Welcome to my blog!
This site to all things Wellness & Lifestyle. Join me on my journey as I attempt to untangle my thoughts through writing.
Love Ash, x
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This is so me. Thank you for posting. Working on setting boundaries and saying no lately for my own sanity. It’s hard because the worry is there of how others will perceive me but I have to let that go.

Ohh tell me about it Jenni I can completely relate! I’m working on boundaries too but there’s still this side of me that cares whether I may be upsetting others. But there’s only so much we can do and we can’t live our lives at the expense of our own wellbeing. It will only end up being something we’ll regret. Thank you for stopping by 😊💜

Quite a lot of that does sound like me, at least when I had better health and was able to do and overdo. Not so much anymore these days, but it’s fascinating looking back now and recognizing it for what it likely was. Food for thought.

That’s so interesting! What made you change your ways if you don’t mind me asking? That’s super cool that you are able to recognize your growth, I hope I can do the same in years to come. Thank you Val 💜

It’s kind of a mix of things I guess, getting older, becoming disabled from multiple chronic pain disorders and having to learn to slow down and find new ways to do things. I have more time to see things now and think about how they make me feel.

Hmm that’s so interesting! Sorry that you experienced chronic pain- I hope it gets better for you. I’m so glad you’re at that stage in your life that you’re able to maintain barriers & not get too emotionally invested. That just inspires me to do the same. Thanks for stopping by 💜

Wow. This post really hit home for me. I am an empath to a T. And it is most definitely a blessing and a curse.
I would definitely rather be empathetic rather than not but it can be draining and exhausting.Black Pistachio

Yes I agree! So draining but such a blessing. I really believe that it’s a gift. We’ve just got to make sure that we are using it appropriately. We are in this together. Thank you for reading and have a great week ❤

Yess! Wise advice from your friend. I get told that too but i was felt like it was easier said than do. When we realize that when we are our best versions, we can pour better onto others. it becomes important that we preserve our peace. Thank you for reading this and have a great day 💜

Thanks for this Ash like you l empathise a lot with people’s situation and l totally agree it’s exhausting but l would hate to not feel other people’s pain. It makes me me. So yes exploring the negatives and keeping check is the only way of copying

Exactly! It’s who we are and we should be proud of it. But definitely knowing how it can get toxic is very important for our wellbeing. We can’t keep giving from an empty cup. Thank you for stopping by and reading this post ☺️💞

Hmm interesting! Never thought about that but that’s definitely another side effect of being an Empath. I guess it can cause us to build resentment towards others for not understanding our sensitive nature. Thank you for sharing your thoughts 💞

Great post! I was just told by my health care professional that I may be an empath so I am reading everything I can get my hands on. Struggles that I have are things like meeting people for the first time and knowing that they are going to be a negative in my life. This is especially a problem when they are co-workers. Also any type of animal cruelty or even animals dead on the road will send me into bouts of sadness that will effect my entire day.

You definitely sound like an empath! It can be very draining right? It helps knowing that you’re not alone. I see it as a unique gift. It’s just about learning to cope with it in a way that’s not damaging to our wellbeing. It’s great that you’re researching on it, that helped me a lot! Thank you for stopping by and all the best to you 💕

I learned that I was an Empath when I was a junior in high school, although there were so many signs before that. Growing up I was such a sensitive child and was later diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. I didn’t like going to new places or being in a crowd. One day a friend was over and while I was in the other room she got into a fight with her boyfriend online. I had no idea what was going on, but suddenly I became very emotional. When I went to check on her she was crying, and I felt her pain so vividly. It has taken so long to find my balance and I am still learning! I still over think things sometimes and am not great with setting boundaries. My parents used to say that I attracted strays, both animal and people alike. I wanted to help and befriend those who needed a friend. I find that being in nature is very therapeutic for me. I also enjoy yoga and writing as they provide a good outlet for processing what I am feeling.

You are definitely an empath. Your ability to sense and take on other peoples pain is so clear! Someone else mentioned attracting strays- I’m thinking whether empath energy is sensed by people who desire love or are in pain. It’s so good that you have outlets for your feelings as it can be overwhelming. I want to try doing yoga. Thank you for sharing and have a great day 💞🌷

Hello great article spoken with truth. I feel upset because the psychopath will never see the beauty in love, so I love them too. In the hope they find the love they push away so much. Sometimes it hurts to love so some push it away and become psychopathic. But that’s not to say they can’t find their way to empathy. As that is an empaths job to help humans flick the switch from psychopathy to empathy its a sliding scale a spectrum. Love Ian Scott Thrive On News

Hello Ian, thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts. Yes it’s difficult because we can find that most people are worthy of love, even if they don’t share love themselves. It becomes a problem for us empaths when we are expecting others to see things through our lens. The best thing we can do is show love and accept people for who they are, not for who we want them to be. 🌷